Chapter Five: Christmas

The weeks passed and before any of them knew it, it was Christmas. Kaylee and Hermione woke early that morning to start fixing Christmas dinner. They were cooking turkey, mash potatoes, corn, and a cake for desert. The cats, dogs, and owls sat watching over then all. The smell of the turkey was quite strong and they all wanted some.

After about twenty minutes of them getting the turkey ready to bake for the rest of the day, Harry and Ron came down into the kitchen.

"Um... Smells good girls." Harry said as he sat down at the table at began to pet Fly.

"We haven't cooked anything. We're only getting the turkey ready to cook." Kaylee said giving a small laugh.

"Still it's good. It's food." Ron said walking up behind Hermione and giving her a kiss on the cheek. Ron had talked to Hermione two days after he and Kaylee had talked in the barn. Kaylee had yet to talk to Harry. She kept putting it off hoping either Ron would forget about the promise or they would leave before she got a chance. So far neither were happening. Ron gave her a look that said 'any-day-now' as he stood behind Hermione.

"Anything that is food is good to you." Hermione said as Ron went to sit down.

Kaylee and Hermione finished getting the turkey ready to cook and then started on making breakfast. After an hour they had finished breakfast and while Harry and Hermione were cleaning up the kitchen, Ron had literally pulled Kaylee into the living room to talk to her.

"So?" he asked standing in front of her and looking at her.

"So, what?" she asked him. She knew perfectly well what he ment but she didn't want to admit it, and most of all she really didn't want to tell Harry. She knew once Harry, Ron, and Hermione left her house, and she was alone again, she would never talk to them again.

"You know perfectly well I'm talking about. When are you going to—" Ron said but Kaylee cut him off in mid sentence.

"Shhh, be quiet."

"So you do know what I mean. Well?" he said giving her a look that she knew she had to do something before Ron did it for her.

"Yes I do know. I'm just hoping I don't have to." Kaylee said looking down at the floor.

"I know you want to. Come on I got over it and Hermione and I are happy that we finally said how we feel toward each other. Come on Kay. I know you can." Ron told her.

"Yeah I know, I just don't want to."

"I know you do, and you better do it today or I'll be telling him myself."

"No!" Kaylee squeaked as she jumped to look up at him. "You wouldn't. No, Ron please. Don't tell him. I will, I promise, just please don't tell him." She pleaded with him.

"I won't, at least not now." Ron said, "but you better do it soon." He turned and walked upstairs. She knew Ron was right. She knew she had to say something, but she was going to keep it to herself as long as she could.

She walked back into the kitchen, where Harry and Hermione were just talking between themselves. Hermione was the first to know that she had entered the room again.

"Where did Ron go?" she asked looking toward Kaylee.

"Upstairs." Kaylee replied as she headed out the door and toward the barn. She had just entered the barn when she heard the kitchen door open and close again. Kaylee pulled Argo out of her stall and placed her bridle on when Harry walked into the barn.

"Hey." He said walking over toward Kaylee and Argo.

"Hi." Kaylee said. She avoided his stare while she placed the saddle blanket and saddle on Argo.

"So, what did you and Ron talk about?" he asked as he stroked Argo's neck.

"He wanted an idea of something special he could do for Hermione tonight." Kaylee lied.

"No he didn't. He already asked me asked me last night and then decided on what he was going to do. Come on Kaylee, don't lie to me." Harry said.

"I'm not." She said but her voice was kind of shaking so she knew she couldn't be two convincing. She grabbed Argo's reins and started to lead him outside the barn, but Harry stopped her. He looked at her and she knew she couldn't avoid it much longer. "It's nothing. He just wanted to know something."

She pulled Argo away from him and outside the barn. The snow crunched under their feet as they made it onto the path. Argo pawed at the ground as Kaylee swung the reins over Argo's head and was about to get on when Harry stopped her yet again.

"You haven't been this quiet since we've been here. What gong on with you? You can tell me." He said looking at her. Kaylee sighed and closed her eyes. She couldn't ignore it anymore.

"Alright. He wanted to know when I was going to talk to you. We talked a few weeks back when he and Hermione had fought. I had him promise that he would talk to Hermione and he made me promise I was going to talk to you. Well as you notice Ron and Hermione are together and he keeps giving me looks asking when I'm going to keep my side of the promise." Kaylee said as Harry just looked at her. "So he convinced me today I couldn't get away from it any more."

"Get away from what?" Harry asked not sure what else to say.

"Tell you that I like you." Kaylee said turning to stroke Argo's long chestnut neck. They stood there in silence for a while until Harry finally spoke.

"I like you too, Kaylee." He said trying to get her to look at him.

"This is why I didn't want to say anything. He told me that you liked me as well, but once you three leave here, I won't see any of you again. Ron made me promise and now all it's going to do is hurt both of us in the end. Now I you don't mind I have to go over to Faye's house." Kaylee said still not looking at Harry. She climbed into the saddle and set off at agallop toward town, where Faye lived. Harry stood their watching her ride away from him. He didn't know what to do. How could she think that they would never talk again? He decided once she got back he would talk with her and make her understand that none of them would leave and forget about her.

Harry made his way back to the house. The sound of the snow under his feet was the only thing that he could hear. He walked into the kitchen and found Hermione and Ron at the table playing a game of wizard chess.

"Where's Kaylee?" Hermione asked for the second time that morning where someone was.

"She went to go see Faye." He said, but seeing their confused faces he added, "her friend from town." They nodded and went back to playing while Harry headed to the living room. He sat on the couch and thought about things, while Fly jumped up next to him and fell a sleep curled around her pups.

After an hour or two Kaylee finally returned from Faye's house. She walked into the kitchen to the smell of the turkey slowly cooking. She took off her jacket and her and Hermione got to work on the rest of Christmas dinner, while Ron went to hunt down Harry.

They sat down early that afternoon for Christmas dinner. As they ate they talked about things and how soon it would be before they could come out of hiding. Kaylee dropped out the conversation when they started to mention leaving the cabin. Everyone fell silent, but then Hermione started the conversation again by talking about the second war.

After they finished dinner and cleaned up, they headed to the living room to open their Christmas presents. Ron received another Weasley sweater and some chocolates. Hermione was given a locket from both Ron and Harry. It had pictures of the two of them it and the outside had said 'BFF' on the front. Harry received some more things for his broom, and Kaylee was given a scarf and hat that Hermione had made. All in all they had a very nice Christmas together. It was the first Christmas that Kaylee had had since before her family was killed.

After they had finished opening presents and were just sitting back and talking Kaylee brought up an idea.

"Would anyone like to go on a Christmas right through the woods? I can get a horse drawn carriage for the two of you." She said looking at Ron and Hermione who were sitting next to each other on the floor in front of the couch. "My family and I use to do it before they… you know." She said.

"Sure, that sounds like fun." Hermione said, "but I think we'll just ride instead."

They all headed out to the barn and then headed out on the different trails through the forest. Hermione and Ron chose the one that headed toward the small hill range to the right of the house. Kaylee and Harry on the other hand headed down toward the lake to the left of the house.

Harry and Kaylee slowly made their way through the woods toward the lake. After a whild of just riding next to each other and listening to the snow under the horses hooves, the wind in the trees, and the branches braking as they walked over them, Harry finally spoke.

"Kaylee, can we talk?" he said as he watched a rabbit run across the trail.

"Sure." She said as the rabbit darted into a hole in the ground.

"Well about earlier, how could you think we would leave and not talk to you still?" he said as he turned his head to look at her.

"Once you, Ron and Hermione come out of hiding, you'll be in the second the war. For all we know one of you three could end up killed, and we'll never talk again. I'd rather not go through the pain of losing something that was more to me then just a friend. I'd rather be able to get on with how I live knowing that I lost a friend and not a loved one." She said looking at the trail they were following rather then Harry.

"I wouldn't leave unless I had to, and even then I would come back. If we could leave hiding and go back to where we came from, I would stay." He said look to the trail they were on.

"You're the one who could make the biggest different in this war. I couldn't live losing someone else that I loved. I lost my parents and sister, and that was enough for me. I don't want to lose anyone else." She said as tear ran down her cheek. Thinking of her family during this time of year was the hardest for her. She had lost them on this day so many years ago.

"Kaylee, I wouldn't leave you unless I had no choice. I think if you allow it, we could make this work." He said watching the tears slid down her cheeks.

"You have to promise not to leave me." She said turning to look at him for the first time during their conversation.

"I can't promise you, but I will try my hardest." He said.

"Alright. I'll try it." She said. Harry smiled at her. He took one of her hands of the reins and held onto it. They both smiled as they kept walking toward the lake. Harry had a feeling that they could make this work, and that it would work. Yet, he couldn't help but feel that something was going to go wrong no mater how hard they tried to stay together.